Big Mama to Black America: ‘Go Git ‘Dem Kids!’

by | Mar 31, 2014 | Opinion | 1 comment

Okay, we don’t like calling our children “kids” any more. If it ain’t one nit-picky thing with Black folk, it’s another.

BUT …

As a grandmother of seven (last count), I am no less than amazed at all of the thought, talk, and speculation that goes along with talking-the-talk, but seldom walking-the-walk of search, rescue, and redeem in the Black communities across America, particularly the lower income communities.

A lot of insider ‘scrambling’ has taken place since President Barack Obama announced the “My Brother’s Keeper” Initiative for African-American and Latino men of color, simply because he had the numbers of economic and unemployment disparities to support his reasoning for doing so.

www.kingstownfamilyfoundation,us

“All Hands on Deck!” King’s Town Family Foundation & Trust

What’s situationally scary about this is the fact that so many initiatives were already in place, particularly a boatload of white organizations “dressed in Blackface,” who have been draining designated federal funds for a long time. It’s an interesting idea to know that that $1BN, so we’ve heard, that is supposed to be up for grabs is probably already spent.

Between the Kaufmann Foundation, the Brother’s Keeper organization with a Black face that has already been on deck since 2003, and the many corporations poised to siphon it off as soon as it hits the funding accounts, people who are scrambling now in the hopes of receiving some of these funds are likely already too late.

But here’s the REAL deal: Go Git ‘dem Kids! “Sweet” Brown has her phrases, Grammy has hers.

The reality of federal funding initiatives for minority set-asides is that they have nearly always, with few exceptions, been an excuse for white people (not all of them well-meaning, either) to go in there with a Blackface on an entity and drain all of the money out while Black people are still sitting around looking confused and trying to figure out what is going on, or how to get at it.

Now might be the time for us Black folk to ‘figger’ it out:

(a) America needs us more than we have ever needed it.

(b) It isn’t (never was) white people’s responsibility to teach or train our Black youth and children.

(c) Nothing exceptional has ever really happened in Black America without “The Village” to keep and protect us and our children and families. Just like more small businesses employ more people in America than corporations, more individual Black people and families have supported one another over the centuries than government has ever given us assistance.

I understand the importance of government assistance, particularly one in which we have so much vested and invested; I “get” the understated need of the Black church to indulge in the PROPER use of the tithe to help boost the economy and Black economics; but even more than that, I hope that we all get the philosophy of keeping a tight hold on our people, our micro- and macro-economics, our children and youth, and our Black families.

We’ve done it before. Why stop now?

Hopefully, between now and January of 2017, we will have shown President Obama that we’re done with the excuse-making, thank him for his efforts and service, and will be firmly and solidly in place to prove that we will never have to travel back down this broken dusty road in America ever again.

It’s going to take ALL HANDS ON DECK! Go git yo chil’run!

***

Reference

King’s Town Family Foundation & Trust: Reaching the Goal. Together.

Save Black Land Trust. Save St. Paul’s College

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1 Comment

  1. Keith Green II

    Evening my sista. Read your article, I actually had to read it twice so I can fully get the depth of it. Hmmm. I am familiar with the Kaufman foundation. You have to understand that anything relating to the white agenda will get my notice than the brothers keeper. I am a n advocate for anything gearing towards helping african Americans but society automatically thinks if it is black related it will not be successful. We have to get that out of our mindset and continue to rise for what we believe in

    Reply

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